By Alicia Fabbre | Daily Herald
The Fox River is adapting to a new flow through Carpentersville as crews continue to work on removing a dam.
Work crews are expected to be out of the river and the dam removed by Halloween or Nov. 1, said Jennifer Rooks-Lopez, director of planning for the Kane County Forest Preserve District.
“We’re to the core of the dam itself,” she said.
Work on the $1.2 million project to remove the dam, funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, started in early September. The dam’s removal will create a 10.2-mile unimpeded flow of the Fox River, the longest free-flowing stretch through Kane County.
The Fox River’s flow has been diverted to its eastern edge as crews continue working on removing the Carpentersville dam. | Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Officials have said a free-flowing river will result in an improvement in its health. Other portions of the river, where dams have been removed, have seen an increase in the number and species of fish in the river.
Rooks-Lopez said crews removed the concrete portion of the dam sections at a time and allowed the river to settle in between. The core of the dam, which officials believe was built between 1839 and 1850, is constructed of river stone and braced with timbers, she said.
The Fox River has narrowed as work continues on the Carpentersville dam removal. Officials say dam removal helps improve the health of the river. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
“That’s made it a little more difficult to clean it up,” she said, adding that there is a lot of stone, ranging from small pebbles to larger boulders, to haul away.